


she said i had a dirty face

by Saldemar



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Original Work
Genre: Family, Insecurity, dnd oc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-12-07 04:05:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18229652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saldemar/pseuds/Saldemar
Summary: you're impressionable, as a kid.





	she said i had a dirty face

Her cheeks ached. They were worn and red. Bits of skin were flaking.

And she kept on rubbing, kept on trying to peel those damn, dirty spots off her skin. She was almost there, she could almost feel them beginning to fall away.

She heard a knock on the door, and blinked away hot tears.

“Naivara, sweetheart, you’ve been in there a while. Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” she said, face flushing. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

“I’m waiting, Starshine.”

She stared at herself in the mirror. Hair pulled tightly back, into a tiny pigtail, bangs spilling every which way, she pondered if growing out her hair would curtain her face better.

Could she see through her bangs? She tugged them down, and found it wasn’t hard; a little annoying, but not impossibly unpleasant.

“Starshine.”

A curt knock.

“It’s bed time. Come on.”

“A minute,” she yelled, swiping a towel across her face.

She pulled the creamy cloth away and saw dapples of blood.

She stared at the cloth in horror, and didn’t register the door clicking open.

“Starshine.”

Her gaze shot up, to her fathers large, pale eyes, round with horror.

“What happened?” He asked softly.

Naivara felt like her eyes were melting.

“I want these stupid marks gone,” she said, her voice tiny. Defeated.

Savan stared at her in confusion, before letting out a quiet breath. He swallowed.

“Sweetheart, those marks…they aren’t removable. They’re a part of you.”

Naivara began to cry, and her skin stung like it never had before.

“They aren’t stupid,” he said softly, pulling her into a hug. He buried his chin in her curls, and held her tight.

“Ugly, then.”

Naivara was pushed from her fathers warmth so quickly, she got shell shock. She stared at him, bleary eyed.

“Who says?” He asked. “You’ve never…since when have your freckles bothered you?”

“A lady…she said my faced looked dirty.” Her voice dripped with loathing. “Said I was dirty.”

Savan stared at her, eyes roaming over the plane of her cheek. Bits of her skin were raw, and he could see the thin thin lines of her under skin beginning to peek through.

“Love, that woman must have been seeing something else,” he laughed, pulling her close. It was a broken laugh. It fell flat.

She cried quietly, tears spilling down her cheeks. He held her tight.

“You’re a beautiful girl, Starshine. You outshine all the rest.”

“Bull,” she sniffled. “Bull.”

“You’re the daughter of Eraveia Lurise,” he said softly. “The most beautiful woman in Zemlijasnova. The most beautiful woman period, I’d argue.”

“Beauty’s in the eye of the beholder,” she said bitterly.

“It is. Some people have warped vision, though. Couldn’t recognize beauty if it slapped em in the face.”

He eased his hug, and examined her face. Her cheeks were raw, but had yet to hit the point of no return; they’d heal over easily. He exhaled, and pulled her into a firm hug.

“You’re going to stop this,” he told her. “No more…of trying to rub off your freckles. All it does is hurt you. I hate seeing you cry, Starshine. I’m here for when you’re feeling down. You know that right? I’m always here. Always will be.”

Cheek pressing into the warmth of his shirt, Nai nodded.

“I know it doesn’t mean much, coming from me,” he said softly. “But you’re a beautiful young lady. Anyone who says otherwise is a fool who couldn’t see their own hand in front of their face.”


End file.
